Atlas Shrugged: Setting And Conflict Analasys

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorHigh School, 11th grade February 2008

download word file, 1 pages 0.0

Downloaded 16 times

Setting Atlas Shrugged was written during the period of time spanning from 1947 to 1957, and it is written as a near-future story, though the actual date is never given. I concluded the story took place in the late sixties or early seventies, though it is definitely arguable. The novel takes place across an entire continent, spanning from New York City to Los Angeles, and many places in-between, over a time of several years, ranging from summer to spring, winter, and fall, in a future picture of our nation torn by rioting, devastated by government-caused famine, and ravaged by guerrilla warfare.

Man vs. Society John Galt tires of being told that the work of his mind must go to those who work to take his mind captive, and declares that he will stop the motor of the world. Spitting in the face of the principals taught to man for thousands of years, Galt devotes his life to his own happiness, and selfishly enjoys it.

When President Thomson intends to address the nation on his solution for all the problems which face society, Galt takes over the radio waves and presents his very contrary views, Objectivism, in a 4 hour speech. Upon hearing what he says, the honest truth, the people become unwilling to go back to their previous lives. The government then asks galt to become a leader for them, to help them restore the nation to its original state. Refusing, galt is finally tortured, almost to the point of death, until he is rescued by followers of his movement. This is an example of Galt conflicting with society's "norm." Again and again, Rand pits Galt's philosophy, objectivism, against the looter's philosophies, altruism, collectivism, and mysticism. again and again, Galt's philosophy comes out on top. This is easy to do...